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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. firm — steady
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — of a king
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kid — child
  11. present — a gift
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. firm — decided
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. present — the time now
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. present — there
  20. firm — a company
  21. court — for sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com